The Bitterroot National Forest is inviting the public to review and make comments on a watershed improvement and travel management project on the Darby Ranger District. The Darby Lumber Lands project encompasses approximately 22,267 acres in the South Fork Sleeping Child and Rye Creek drainages in the Sapphire Mountains east of Darby.

The project is designed to improve watershed and stream health in the area, while also creating a sustainable motorized access system and loop-based motorized routes. Several sites with substantial aspen regeneration would also be thinned to reduce competition and promote aspen longevity.

The project area had extensive road systems built decades ago for timber management. Many roads on recently acquired Darby Lumber Company sections were built without water resources in mind and are negatively impacting local watersheds by chronically elevating sediment levels. There are approximately 275 miles of roads and 15 miles of single-track trail within the project area. For more information or to see project maps Click Here.

For more information about the project, contact Ed Snook at (406) 363-7103 or esnook@fs.fed.us. An open house with resource specialists available to answer questions is planned for Wednesday, January 8th from 6-8pm at the Supervisor's Office in Hamilton.

Thanks in advance and, as always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact BRC.

The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national recreation group that champions responsible recreation, and encourages individual environmental stewardship. With members in all 50 states, BRC is focused on building enthusiast involvement with organizational efforts through membership, outreach, education, and collaboration among recreationists. The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) season is here. Federal employees, please mark BlueRibbon Coalition and Check #11402 on your CFC pledge form to support our efforts to protect your access. Join us at 1-800-258-3742 or http://www.sharetrails.org_______________________________________________________

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Yuma Field Office La Posa Travel Management Plan (TMP) comment period has been extended for an extra 30 days to Monday, March 23, 2015. The preliminary EA may be reviewed on the BLM internet website at http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/travel_mgmt/la_posa.html. ***BRC wants to alert folks to pay particular attention to the designation or non-designation of routes that traverse washes or are in the wash itself. Highlight importance of wash-based OHV

The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a proposal to designate Over-Snow Vehicle (OSV) use on roads, trails and areas on lands within the Tahoe National Forest. The EIS will also identify snow trails available for grooming on the Forest. Public input on the initial proposed action is encouraged. The Tahoe National Forest maintains a world-class OSV trail system. Designating OSV use on the Forest will ensure over-snow vehicle activity, such as snowmobile riding,

Send an Email Urging Your Representative to Cosponsor H.R. 999 -- The ROV In-Depth Examination Act - Last November, BRC's Don Amador, a SXS enthusiast, asked you to contact Congress because federal regulators were trying to impose their "street-oriented" view on SXS users and the industry by proposing a Rule which could have devastated SXS recreation. Your efforts did help delay imposition of the Rule, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is